To date, many media editing applications have been proposed for editing digital graphic design, image editing, audio editing, and video editing. These applications provide graphical designers, media artists, and other users with the tools for creating and editing media presentations. Examples of such applications include Final Cut Pro® and iMovie®, both sold by Apple Computer, Inc.
Several of the media editing applications provide editing tools that allow its user to perform keyframe editing. Typically, keyframe editing entails manipulating keyframes, which are control points that are associated with a particular location in a media clip. FIG. 1 illustrates manipulating keyframes 105 and 110 to perform keyframe editing. Here, to modify an attribute value at a first keyframe, the user selects the keyframe 105 and drags the keyframe to a new location. To make the attribute values at a second keyframe match the first keyframe, the user repeats the steps described above for the keyframe 110 and aligns the two keyframes 105 and 110.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of another existing keyframe editing operation. This operation performs an interpolation between the first and second keyframes by manipulating Bezier handles on the keyframes 105 and 110. Specifically, to create the interpolation, the user (i) selects the keyframe 105 such that handles 205 and 210 appear; (ii) selects the handle 210; (iii) adjusts the handle 210 to create a first portion of an inner curve adjacent to the keyframe 105; (iv) selects the keyframe 110 such that handles 215 and 220 appear; (v) selects the handle 215; and (vi) adjusts the handle 215 to create a second portion of the inner curve adjacent to the keyframe 110.
A number of shortcomings exist in the keyframe editing described above. One such shortcoming is that a user of media editing application must know how to manipulate multiple keyframes with a certain amount of precision to create even a simple effect. Furthermore, the user must not only understand how to manipulate Bezier handles but also possess the patience and drawings skills to use them to create a desired interpolation between keyframes.
Therefore, there is a need for a more simplified way of performing keyframe editing. Also, there is a need for a media editing application that allow its user to perform simple to complex keyframe editing with minimal drawing skills and without having to understand how Bezier handles work.